How you can get involved in Mental Health Awareness Week with Bath Mind
Posted on 5th May 23
Bath Mind is our Charity of the Year and they have a strong programme of events planned during Mental Health Awareness Week (15th – 21st May) to raise awareness of the impact anxiety can have on our mental health.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems that we face as a society, yet it is still widely misunderstood. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Bath Mind will be sharing information and support on anxiety as well as hosting events to help individuals connect with their local communities.
The Bath Mind Mental Health Awareness Week page explains how you can get involved in fundraising or wellbeing activities this Mental Health Awareness Week. Highlights include:
- Join Bath Mind at a Bingo fundraiser! Looking for a way to support Bath Mind and participate in a welcoming community event? Look no further than the Bingo fundraiser.
- Champion #MentalHealthMatters by donating. Dozens of Bath Mind services are working tirelessly to support people with their anxiety. They are funded by individuals just like you who want their donations to make a big difference. To donate by text: Text BATHMIND to 70085 to donate £5 ; Text BATHMIND to 70450 to donate £10.
- Learn more about anxiety. Bath Mind will be releasing their favourite anxiety resources on this page as Mental Health Awareness Week approaches.
Anxiety is a natural human response developed to help protect us from danger. When we are in a stressful situation, our bodies release hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are to help us take action to protect us. This response presents as “fight, flight or freeze”. However, at times, this response can be too much relevant to the situation, and at this point it can become debilitating.
Most people feel anxious at times, though everyone’s experience of anxiety is different. What makes one person anxious, may not affect another in the same way.
Uncertainty can be a trigger for anxious thoughts. We may create the narrative “what if…” in our minds. We may experience uncertainty for many different reasons. Many of us may have experienced anxiety during the pandemic and may now be faced with uncertainty around our finances.
It can be difficult living with anxiety, but there are ways to help yourself. Healthy coping skills can help us to manage anxiety. Instead of avoidance, we can learn to face the uncomfortable feelings which anxiety causes and gain confidence in dealing with situations.
There are lots of things we can do to help support our wellbeing, which can help improve our mental health:
Breathing Exercises
Connecting with the breath can help us to relax, reducing anxiety. Next time you feel anxious, try to focus on your breath. There are lots of different breathing techniques, see which ones works best for you.
Breathing for relaxation (bathmind.org.uk)
Breathing Exercises – Bath Mind
Sleep
Poor sleep can affect our ability to think clearly, manage our emotions and it can increase anxiety and worry.
Bath Mind’s Chair, Pip Galland, gives some tried and tested tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep here Sleep Problems – Bath Mind
Managing Stress
Stress is the body’s natural reaction to danger and pressure, which could be deadlines, big life changes, relationships and trauma. Continuous stress can lead to mental health diagnoses, and even contribute to physical health problems.
Stress can sometimes be compared to a container, which holds all of the different stresses (big and small) in your life. Your stress container can overfill, which can lead to overwhelm and burnout. Doing activities that you enjoy and taking time out can act as a ‘tap’ to relieve some of the stress in your container.
Bath Mind have a list of resources you can use to help you understand what is causing stress in your life Managing Stress – Bath Mind
Spending time in nature
The Mental Health Foundation found that going for walks outside is a top coping mechanism and 45% of us report that being out in nature and green space is vital for our mental health.
Time spent in nature can be fascinating, relaxing and therapeutic; it can lift our mood, reduce stress and improve our health! You’ll find more information on the many benefits of nature, and ways to be mindful in nature, in Bath Mind’s downloadable resources:
Time in Nature BM (bathmind.org.uk)
You can start to improve your wellbeing today with Bath Mind’s free online course ‘Ways to Wellbeing’ to learn about ways to improve your wellbeing based around ‘The 5 Ways to Wellbeing’.
Online Course: Ways to Wellbeing – Bath Mind
Subscribe to Bath Mind’s Youtube channel to get see our Mental Health Awareness week reels
Bath Mind is here to support everyone living in BaNES with their mental health and wellbeing.
Bath Mind’s ‘Access Community Mental Health’ (ACMH) team help people to access the correct mental health support for them, and learn more about other services in the local community.
If you need some support with your mental health, ACMH’s experienced team will walk alongside you every step of the way.
If you are 16+ and living within B&NES and would like free of charge support in accessing the services available in your community, please get in touch
Email: access@bathmind.org.uk
Telephone (freephone line): 0808 175 1369
This service is open from 09.00am to 5.30pm, Monday-Sunday.
You can find more information about all the incredible service Bath Mind offer on the website Our Services – Bath Mind or download a copy of the Service Brochure here Spring-Summer-2023-Service-Brochure.pdf (bathmind.org.uk)
